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Horticulture and Soil Science Wiki:What H
H&SS is an online Wiki geared toward plant and soil science. A majority of this wiki will function in two ways. The first part will function as an encyclopedia regarding plants, insects and soil. The second part will function as a how-to guide for gardening, plant identification and other related topics. H&SS is not Print Based Because H&SS is not print based the content will always be changing and growing. Theoretically, there is no limit to the amount of content that can be included. However, this is not a free pass to include anything and everything. H&SS is not a Publisher of Original Thoughts H&SS is not a place to publish your own thoughts and analyses or to publish new information. Please do not use H&SS for any of the following: 1. Primary (original) research, such as proposing theories and solutions, original ideas, defining terms, coining new words, etc. If you have completed primary research on a topic, your results should be published in other venues, such as peer-reviewed journals, other printed forms, open research, or respected online publications. H&SS can report about your work after it is published and becomes part of accepted knowledge; however, citations of such reliable sources are needed to demonstrate that material is verifiable, and not merely the editor's opinion. 2. Personal inventions. If you or a friend invented the word frindle, a drinking game, or a new type of dance move, it is not notable enough to be an article until multiple, independent, and reliable secondary sources report on it. H&SS is not for things made up one day. 3. Personal essays that state your particular feelings about a topic (rather than the opinion of experts). Although H&SS is supposed to compile human knowledge, it is not a vehicle to make personal opinions become part of such knowledge. In the unusual situation where the opinions of an individual are important enough to discuss, it is preferable to let other people write about them. 4. Discussion forums. Please try to stay on the task of creating an encyclopedia. You can chat with people about Horticulture-related topics on their user talk pages, and should resolve problems with articles on the relevant talk pages, but please do not take discussion into articles. H&SS is not a Soapbox or Means for Promotion H&SS is not a soapbox, a battleground, or a vehicle for propaganda, advertising and showcasing. This applies to articles, categories, templates, talk page discussions, and user pages. Therefore, content hosted in H&SS is not for: 1. Advocacy, propaganda, or recruitment of any kind: commercial, political, religious, sports-related, or otherwise. An article can report objectively about such things, as long as an attempt is made to describe the topic from a neutral point of view. You might wish to start a blog or visit a forum if you want to convince people of the merits of your favorite views. 2. Opinion pieces. Although some topics, particularly those concerning current affairs and politics, may stir passions and tempt people to "climb soapboxes" (for example, passionately advocate their pet point of view), H&SS is not the medium for this. Articles must be balanced to put entries, especially for current events, in a reasonable perspective, and represent a neutral point of view. Furthermore, H&SS authors should strive to write articles that will not quickly become obsolete. 3. Scandal mongering, promoting things "heard through the grapevine" or gossiping. Articles and content about living people are required to meet an especially high standard, as they may otherwise be libellous or infringe the subjects' right to privacy. Articles should not be written purely to attack the reputation of another person. 4. Self-promotion. It can be tempting to write about yourself or projects in which you have a strong personal involvement. However, do remember that the standards for encyclopedic articles apply to such pages just like any other. This includes the requirement to maintain a neutral point of view, which can be difficult when writing about yourself or about projects close to you. Creating overly abundant links and references to autobiographical sources is unacceptable. 5. Advertising. All information about companies and products are written in an objective and unbiased style. All article topics must be verifiable with independent, third-party sources, so articles about very small "garage" or local companies are typically unacceptable. External links to commercial organizations are acceptable if they identify major organizations which are the topic of the article. H&SS neither endorses organizations nor runs affiliate programs. Those promoting causes or events, or issuing public service announcements, even if noncommercial, should use a forum other than H&SS to do so H&SS is not a Social Media Website H&SS is not a social network like Twitter or Facebook. You may not host your own website, blog, wiki, or cloud at H&SS. H&SS pages are not: 1. Personal web pages. Users have their own user pages, but they may be used only to present information relevant to working on H&SS. If you are looking to make a personal webpage or blog or to post your résumé, please make use of one of the many free providers on the internet or any hosting included with your internet account. The focus of user pages should not be social networking, or amusement, but rather providing a foundation for effective collaboration. 2. File storage areas. Please upload only files that are used (or will be used) in H&SS articles or project pages; anything else will be deleted. 3. Dating services. H&SS is not an appropriate place to pursue relationships or sexual encounters. User pages that move beyond broad expressions of sexual orientation are unacceptable. However, you very well may make new friendships as you go about improving H&SS. 4. Memorials. Subjects of articles must satisfy H&SS's notability requirements. H&SS is not the place to memorialize deceased friends, relatives, acquaintances, or others who do not meet such requirements. Many of the content restrictions listed above apply to your user page and user talk page as well. Your user page is not a personal homepage, nor is it a blog. More importantly, your user page is not yours. It is a part of H&SS, and exists to make collaboration among users easier, not for self-promotion. H&SS is not a News Source As H&SS is not a paper source, editors are encouraged to include current and up-to-date information within its coverage, and the development of stand-alone articles on significant current events. However, not all verifiable events are suitable for inclusion in H&SS. Ensure that H&SS articles are not: 1. Journalism. H&SS should not offer first-hand news reports on breaking stories. H&SS is not a primary source. 2. News reports. H&SS considers the enduring notability of persons and events. While news coverage can be useful source material for encyclopedic topics, most newsworthy events do not qualify for inclusion. For example, routine news reporting on things like announcements, sports, or celebrities is not a sufficient basis for inclusion in H&SS. While including information on recent developments is sometimes appropriate, breaking news should not be emphasized or otherwise treated differently from other information. 3. Who's who. Even when an event is notable, individuals involved in it may not be. Unless news coverage of an individual goes beyond the context of a single event, our coverage of that individual should be limited to the article about that event, in proportion to their importance to the overall topic. 4. A diary. Even when an individual is notable, not all events he is involved in are. For example, news reporting about celebrities and sports figures can be very frequent and cover a lot of trivia, but using all these sources would lead to overdetailed articles that look like a diary. Not every match played, goal scored or hand shaken is notable enough to be included. H&SS is not Censored H&SS may contain content that some readers consider objectionable or offensive, even exceedingly so (see Content Disclaimer). H&SS cannot guarantee that articles or images will always be acceptable to all readers, or that they will adhere to general social or religious norms. Since anyone can edit an article and most changes made are displayed immediately, inappropriate material may appear before it can be removed. Content which is obviously inappropriate, such as an irrelevant link to a shock site, or clear vandalism, is usually removed quickly. Content that is judged to violate H&SS's biographies of living persons policy, or that violates other H&SS policies (especially neutral point of view) or the laws of the U.S. will also be removed. However, some articles may include text, images, or links which some people may find objectionable, when these materials are relevant to the content. Discussion of potentially objectionable content should not focus on its offensiveness but on whether it is appropriate to include in a given article. Beyond that, "being objectionable" is generally not sufficient grounds for removal or inclusion of content. H&SS will not remove content because of the internal bylaws of some organizations that forbid information about the organization to be displayed online. Any rules that forbid members of a given organization, fraternity, or religion to show a name or image do not contribute to H&SS because H&SS is not a member of those organizations. H&SS is not a Crystal Ball H&SS is not a collection of unverifiable speculation. All articles about anticipated events must be verifiable, and the subject matter must be of sufficiently wide interest that it would merit an article if the event had already occurred. It is appropriate to report discussion and arguments about the prospects for success of future proposals and projects or whether some development will occur, if discussion is properly referenced. It is not appropriate for editors to insert their own opinions or analyses. Predictions, speculation, forecasts and theories stated by reliable, expert sources or recognized entities in a field may be included, though editors should be aware of creating undue bias to any specific point-of-view. In forward-looking articles about unreleased products, such as films and games, take special care to avoid advertising and unverified claims. In particular: 1. Individual scheduled or expected future events should only be included if the event is notable and almost certain to take place. Dates are not definite until the event actually takes place. If preparation for the event is not already in progress, speculation about it must be well documented. Examples of appropriate topics include the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election and 2020 Summer Olympics. By comparison, the 2032 U.S. Presidential Election and 2044 Summer Olympics are not appropriate article topics if nothing can be said about them that is verifiable and not original research. Avoid predicted sports team line-ups, which are inherently unverifiable and speculative. A schedule of future events may be appropriate if it can be verified. As an exception, even highly speculative articles about events that may or may not occur far in the future might be appropriate, where coverage in reliable sources is sufficient. For example, Ultimate Fate of the Earth is an acceptable topic. 2. Individual items from a predetermined list or a systematic pattern of names, pre-assigned to future events or discoveries, are not suitable article topics, if only generic information is known about the item. Lists of tropical cyclone names is encyclopedic; "Tropical Storm Alberto (2014)" is not, even though it is virtually certain that a storm of that name will occur in the North Atlantic and will turn counterclockwise. Similarly, articles about words formed on a predictable numeric system (such as "septenquinquagintillion") are not encyclopedic unless they are defined on good authority, or genuinely in use. Certain scientific extrapolations are considered to be encyclopedic, such as chemical elements documented by IUPAC before isolation in the laboratory. 3. Articles that present original research in the form of extrapolation, speculation, and "future history" are inappropriate. While scientific and cultural norms continually evolve, we must wait for this evolution to happen, rather than try to predict it. Of course, we do and should have articles about notable artistic works, essays, or credible research that embody predictions. An article on Weapons of Star Trek is appropriate; an article on "Weapons to be used in World War III" is not. 4. While currently accepted scientific paradigms may later be rejected, and hypotheses previously held to be controversial or incorrect sometimes become accepted by the scientific community, it is not the place of H&SS to venture such projections. H&SS is not a collection of product announcements and rumors. Speculation and rumor, even from reliable sources, are not appropriate. H&SS is not a Democracy Here at H&SS we value the opinions and ideas of all of our users. However, it should be noted that we do not abide by the "majority rule." Any implemented ideas, policies, and guidelines, are implemented because they are best for the Wiki. Users should work for the betterment of H&SS not for their own promotion. H&SS is not an Anarchy H&SS is free and open, but restricts both freedom and openness where they interfere with creating a better Wiki. Accordingly, H&SS is not a forum for unregulated free speech. The fact that H&SS is an open, self-governing project does not mean that any part of its purpose is to explore the viability of anarchistic communities. Our purpose is to build a Wiki, not to test the limits of anarchism. H&SS is not Compulsory H&SS is a volunteer community, and does not require users to give any more time and effort than they wish. Focus on improving H&SS itself, rather than demanding more from other users. Editors are free to take a break or leave H&SS at any time. H&SS is not a Battleground H&SS is not a place to hold grudges, import personal conflicts, carry on ideological battles, or nurture prejudice, hatred, or fear. Making personal battles out of H&SS discussions goes directly against our policies and goals. In addition to avoiding battles in discussions, do not make changes to content or policies just to prove a point to someone with whom you disagree. Every user is expected to interact with others civilly, calmly, and in a spirit of cooperation. Do not insult, harass, or intimidate those with whom you have a disagreement. Rather, approach the matter intelligently and engage in polite discussion. If another user behaves in an uncivil, uncooperative, or insulting manner, or even tries to harass or intimidate you, this does not give you an excuse to respond in kind. Address only the factual points brought forward, ignoring the inappropriate comments, or disregard that user entirely. If necessary, point out gently that you think the comments might be considered uncivil, and make it clear that you want to move on and focus on the content issue. If a conflict continues to bother you, take advantage of H&SS's dispute resolution process. There are always users willing to mediate and arbitrate disputes between others. In large disputes, resist the urge to turn H&SS into a battleground between factions. Assume good faith that every editor and group is here to improve H&SS—especially if they hold a point of view with which you disagree. Work with whomever you like, but do not organize a faction with the main goal of disrupting H&SS’s fundamental decision-making process, which is based on building a consensus. Editors in large disputes should work in good faith to find broad principles of agreement between different viewpoints. Do not use H&SS to make legal or other threats against H&SS or the Wikimedia Foundation—other means already exist to communicate legal problems. Threats are not tolerated and may result in a ban.